Honor thy Father
by soswimmer13
Summary: A young man goes to confession, but does he really need to confess? One shot. My first CSI:NY fic.


**Honor thy Father**

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I don't own CSI:NY, you all know that. If I did, I wouldn't have been helping all the freshman move into my dorm yesterday! Exhausting! Well, I've been thinking about something like this for a while. This is my first CSI:NY fic.

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A scared young man walked into the quiet church. It was cool, much cooler than outside where the summer sun beat down on the pavement all around. The summer sounds of Saturday baseball and kids screaming and playing were muffled by the thick stone walls and thick wooden doors.

The church was empty. Unlike the church his family belonged to, there were no anxious mothers pressuring their children to go to confession before mass the next day. There were only a few people in the church. They all were middle aged at the least, and all were kneeling in prayer.

The young man genuflected on reflex as he entered a pew. He sat in his own quiet contemplation while he waited for his turn at the confessional. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he had to talk to someone – someone his father couldn't get to.

He knew that Father Tony and his own father were close. He didn't know how close, but he was pretty sure that the father was a friend of the 'family'. Anything he might confess to him could (and would) be quickly relayed to friends of his father.

An old woman exited a confessional, and soon the steady clicking of rosary beads came from her spot in the pew. The young man shook himself out of his thoughts when he realized that it was his turn, and quietly entered the confessional.

"Bless me father for I have sinned. It's been two hours since my last confession," The young man rattled off.

"Two hours?" the priest questioned. "What have you done in two hours that couldn't wait till next Saturday?"

"Well, you see…" The young man trailed off. How was he going to explain himself? "My confession two hours ago was sort of a fake one… I… I had to make sure that no one at home knew something was up. So that's my first sin. I lied to a priest and told him a fake confession."

"Was there a reason for this? If you were just going to come to confession here, why did you go before?"

"If I didn't go to confession at my home parish, my father and the priest would have known something was up. So I just made up something about a fight with my brother. Well, it wasn't really made up. We don't get along very well. But I couldn't talk about this where the people in the neighborhood might hear about it."

"Tell me your other confession, my boy."

"Well, you see father, I seem to be, umm, having some trouble with the fourth commandment."

"The fourth? Honor thy father and mother? Have you been talking back to your parents?"

"It's like this. I want to be a cop."

"And your mother thinks it too dangerous?" the priest attempted to understand the problem with the young man's wish.

"Ha!" the young man let out forced laugh. "That I would be happy to deal with. No. She's happy about it. Says I'm actually safer on the force. My father's the one that's not too happy. Wants me to take up the family business, more like my brother."

"And what type of business is this? A family restaurant or something?" At this, the young man actually did burst out laughing. All the priest could make out were the words 'family restaurant'. The priest was rather confused. A family restaurant was the only business for such a macho young man to not want to go in to that he could think of.

The young man quickly sobered up, and responded to the priest, "No, that isn't the family business. I actually could do anything I want, except be a cop, and still be in the family business. Actually restaurants, bars, or meat markets are all considered good choices. But it's what goes on behind the scenes that's the family business – if you catch my meaning."

The priest was still feeling confused, "Could you clarify that a little?"

"The family business is the polar opposite to my dreams of being on the police force. I was fine when I was playing ball. My dad was proud of me, hoped I would go pro. I always did well in school, but that wasn't as important as baseball. He knew that I didn't feel the same way about the business as he did, but at least I wouldn't be working against him."

The priest now understood exactly what the young man's dilemma was. He just hoped that he would be able to counsel him well. "Well, in the 'family business' might you hurt people more than you are currently 'hurting' your father?" the priest asked.

"I would, there is no might."

"Well then remember this: in Matthew chapter seven, he says that there is one commandment that is greater than the rest, doing on to others as you would have them do unto you. This means that even though you are breaking the fourth commandment, it will not be held against you since you are bringing the most good to the most people. Does this help you with your dilemma?"

"Thank you father. I thought so, but I think I needed to hear so from someone else. I couldn't exactly talk this over with many people. Everyone knows my family and it wouldn't be safe for them. I can deal with them, they might be mad, but at least they won't order a hit."

"They would really do that to someone?"

"Don't worry father, you aren't in any danger. No one knows I came here. Why would I? I already went to confession at home! So do I need penance? Or is this not bad or what?"

"I think you will have penance enough dealing with your family if you do decide to become a cop. And if you don't, you won't be dishonoring your father any longer, so you need no penance."

The priest watched the young man leave his church with a smile on his face. There still were people who would go against their family to do good. That's why he was in this failing parish. He had known exactly what the young man's problem was from the beginning, he was sorry that another priest had fallen where he had stood strong, but he was glad that the young man had still been able to trust a priest with his confession.

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You better know who this 'young man' is!


End file.
